Sinead O’Connor inspired me to use my voice and power, says Laura Whitmore

Laura Whitmore, who recently revealed she was cyberstalked in a new documentary, said the late Sinead O’Connor showed her there is “power in your vulnerability”.

The former Love Island presenter, who explores cyberstalking, ‘incel’ culture (involuntary celibacy) and rough sex in a new ITV documentary series, said O’Connor inspired her to use her voice and power.

The Dublin-born presenter said on Good Morning Britain: “I think growing up in Ireland in the 90s with her as an icon, it makes me think if you have any sort of power, use it the right way.

“You need to enjoy life as well, but I also feel if I have a chance to talk about things, then I will.”

The 38-year-old TV presenter was one of hundreds who gathered at the London Irish Centre on Thursday to pay their respects to late Grammy-winning singer O’Connor, 56, who was found unresponsive at her home in south London on Wednesday.

Whitmore said: “I had quite a late night last night, I’m going to be honest. We had a gathering last night for Sinead O’Connor in the London Irish Centre and I think of what that woman did and how much she spoke about things and didn’t bury her head in the sand.”

She continued: “She made me so proud to be Irish and I was very lucky to meet her. I think she’s someone who spoke the truth and showed that there was power in your vulnerability.”

In a new documentary, Whitmore reveals she was cyberstalked 10 years ago but was told by the police to “get a dog” to protect her when she reported that a letter had been delivered to her house and a “line had been crossed”.

She said the situation made her feel vulnerable as well as “so angry and stupid” because she was made to feel she was wasting police time and was told to live with it.

“This isn’t a personal documentary or wasn’t supposed to be, but everything is personal,” she said.

“I remember talking to a BBC presenter and she was telling me about what happened to her.

“She ended up being able to get a conviction against her perpetrator and I was listening to her going ‘that happened to me but I was told that’s just expected with your job’.

“There’s a bit of me that’s a bit annoyed at myself because I feel only now after 10 years (I can do something about it).”

Whitmore said she is “so grateful” for her platform to be able to talk about these issues “because it’s easy to bury our heads in the sand”, comparing it to O’Connor and her refusal to be silenced.

Sharing a sweet anecdote about O’Connor, Whitmore added: “When I was younger, mum rented a room in a woman’s house that was on Sinead’s road and then Sinead lived in Bray for years around the corner.

“So if you came to Bray my mother would be like ‘that’s Sinead O’Connor’s house’ and I was very lucky. She knows where Dara O’Briain lives, Hozier, Kate Taylor, she knows them all.”

Whitmore is married to Scottish comedian Iain Stirling and welcomed a baby in March 2021.